Saturday, December 31, 2011

I love to share new authors with you. DM Webb (Daphne) has come to share a little about herself with us as we close out 2011 and move in to 2012. Daphne lives an exciting life! You won't want to miss reading about it as she uses her active lifestyle in the creation of her books. What could be better than that?

DM Webb lives, along with her two sons and a variety of pets, in the beautiful state of Mississippi. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).
Her studies in art and sociology coupled with her many jobs ranging from bookstore clerk to volunteer firefighter/EMR has produced a plethora of ideas for upcoming books. You can find Daphne here:

~~Two brothers, one death--the bond of brotherhood faces its greatest challenge against resentment and guilt.~~

Can the love between two brothers eventually win against pain and guilt?

When Firefighter David Boyette’s fiancée perishes in a car fire, he blames his brother, Sgt. Jeremy Boyette, for her death.

Three years later, David returns home with a dark and devastating secret. With the help of family, a woman’s love, and a small child’s devotion, can David overcome insurmountable odds as he and Jeremy face the bitterness that enslaves him?

Together the brothers must decide if the bond of brotherhood is stronger than resentment and hate.

EVERYONE WANTS A CHANCE TO GET A PEEK AT A GOOD NEW BOOK! WHAT BETTER WAY TO TAKE US INTO THE NEW YEAR THAN TO HAVE A GLIMPSE AT DAPHNE'S NEW MISSISSIPPI NIGHTS. CHECK IT OUT WITH ME, AND DROP DAPHNE A LINE HERE AT A PEN FOR YOUR THOUGHTS TO LET US KNOW EITHER WHAT YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR THE NEW YEAR OR A COMMENT YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE ABOUT WHAT YOU READ SO FAR. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU AND ARE GOING TO DRAW ONE OF YOUR NAMES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!

Chapter 1

The white gravel drive, with its mailbox reading Dean and Leigh Boyette, wound down to the stately brick Georgian house. David had never driven the familiar ride with such apprehension. He was the prodigal son returning home—minus the guilt.

Rocks crunched beneath the tires as he brought his old, beat-up Chevy truck to a stop. He sat there, hands on the wheel, taking deep breaths. Sweat coated his palms. It had been three years since he last sat in this drive. Letters, phone calls, and e-mails had kept him in touch, but now he was back in Jasper City for good. He was an adult, for crying out loud, and he did not need to be running home like a small child.

The door creaked, testimony of the truck's age, as he opened it and stepped out onto the driveway. His boots, like the truck, had seen better days. So had he.

Old possessions. Old clothes. Old beyond his thirty-five years. Just plain old.

David grabbed his duffel bag from the bed of the truck and trudged the few steps to the front door. He sidestepped the fat tomcat asleep on the porch's step. Fat Tom, big, yellow, and lazy.

"Mornin', Fat Tom," David whispered.

Fat Tom opened one eye in greeting and then rolled over, perfecting cat arrogance.

David cocked his head. The door knocker was new, outlandish, and bulky. Mom's idea. He lifted the clown and let it fall against the metal plating. Yep, that heavy clank would get someone's attention.

So he did it again. And again. And again.

Someone yelled. "Coming!"

The clown went up and then down.

"I said I’m coming!"

Again David lifted the clown and let it plummet.

"Coming!" This time the voice screeched.

The door jerked open, and the woman, plump, beautiful, and smelling of jasmine, screeched again. This time in delight. "David!"

His feet practically left the porch as his mother pulled his tall frame down to her, enveloping him in a strong hug. "Oh my goodness! You said next week, David! Oh my goodness!"

The mantra nearly brought him to tears as she kept him in a bear hug, rocking gently.

"I couldn't wait, Mamma." Her gray streaked hair muffled his voice. "I had to see you."

She finally pulled back. "Oh, I have missed you. You look tired. And shaggy. Look at that hair. You would think it was the 70's again." She pulled at him. "Come in, silly! Go put your stuff up and get to the kitchen. I got to fatten you up again."

"Your sister will be here in a little while, along with Marty Junior. She will be so surprised to see you."

His mom practically skipped back to the kitchen as David climbed the stairs. Once again the familiar felt strange. Same pictures still hung on the wall. The handrail still wiggled. New rosy carpet covered the floor.

He turned right and stood in front of his bedroom. His dad had painted over the green stripes that he put on the door so long ago. He peered inside. A wave of sadness surged over him.

Same full size bed. Same curtains. Same old furniture. But none of his life before remained. When he left, he had screamed, shouted, hurled curses, and said he would never return. Now his room was a guest room. His things must have been packed away in the attic or the storage building out back–his things that had once occupied the new home that he would have shared with Rebecca, things that David had moved into this room before he left it all behind. He forced a swallow past his dry throat and blocked those thoughts.

The duffel bag bounced once when he threw it on the bed. He sat beside it and buried his head in his hands. Weariness, that old cliché, washed over him and entered his bones.

He was too tired and too empty.

As exhilarated as his mother was to see him, and his father and Darlene probably would be also, he doubted Jeremy would welcome him back. Resentment, borderline hate, still flowed between them.

"Your things are in the attic."

That deep, melodic voice had never changed. It commanded attention and brimmed with affection.

David smiled at his father, who leaned against the door frame. "Hey, Dad."

"Come here, Son." His dad took two long strides and pulled David into a tight embrace. "It's so good to see you home, Son. Let me look at you." His dad held him at arm's length. "You look tired. Beat up."

"I am tired."

"What happened in St. Louis?"

David shook his head. "Nothing, Dad. Nothing at all."

"You needed home." His dad could read him just as well as that well-worn Bible of his.

"Yeah. I needed home."

SOUND INTRIGUING? DROP US A LINE. DON'T FORGET TO TELL US EITHER YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE STORY, OR WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO DO FOR THE NEW YEAR. DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Join me this Christmas week as we read about the newest book that award-winning author, James L. Rubart has written, and that he is generously offering to share with one of our readers this blessed holiday season. THE CHAIR sounds like the perfect Christmas read.

James L. Rubart is the best-selling, and award winning author of ROOMS, BOOK OF DAYS, and THE CHAIR. During the day he runs Barefoot Marketing, helping authors make more coin of the realm. In his free time he dirt bikes, hikes, water skis and take photos. No, he doesn’t sleep much. He lives with his amazing wife and teenage sons in the Pacific Northwest and still thinks he’s young enough to water ski like a madman. More at www.jameslrubart.com

If someone gave you a chair and said it was made by Jesus Christ, would you believe them?

When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe's antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was crafted by Jesus, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed two days after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts wondering . . . could this chair heal the person whose life Corin destroyed twelve years ago?

As word spreads of the boy's healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. And that mysterious woman who gave him the piece flits in and out of his life like a shadow, insinuating it's Corin’s destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why?

Desperate, he turns to the one person he can trust, a college history professor who knows more about the legend of the chair than he'll reveal. Corin's life shatters as he searches for the truth about the artifact and the unexplained phenomena surrounding it. What’s more, he's not the only one willing do almost anything to possess the power seemingly connected to the chair.

Excerpt from The Chair

By James L. Rubart

On Tuesday afternoon at five thirty, an elderly lady strode into Corin’s antique store as if she owned it and said, “The next two months of your life will be either heaven or hell.”

The corners of her mouth turned up a fraction. It was almost a smile.

“Excuse me?” Corin Roscoe stared at her over the mound of bills in front of him and stifled a laugh.

White hair, deep smile lines etched into her high cheekbones—she had to be at least mid-seventies. Maybe eighty, but she moved like she was in her forties. She wore a dark tan coat that bounced off her calves as she strolled toward Corin, ice blue eyes full of laughter. She didn’t look crazy.

“I’ve brought you the chair, you see.” She stared at him as if that statement would explain everything.

Corin brushed his dark hair off his forehead and slid off the stool behind his sales counter. “What chair?”

The woman looked around the store like a schoolteacher evaluating a new classroom of students. Her eyes seemed to settle on the pile of precisely stacked books from the 1700s.

“I love books, you know.”

Something about her was familiar. “Do I know you?” He took a step toward the woman.

“No.” Her laugh had a tinge of music in it. “I hardly think so.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a fortune-teller, right? And think a little heaven and a little hell is coming my way. Can’t I just subscribe to your newsletter?”

She drew a circle in the air with her forefinger, cherry red nail polish flashing under the halogen lights of Corin’s antiques store. “Probably an interweaving of the two realms. And I believe you’ll discover the hope of restoration. The final outcome will, of course, be your choice.”

Corin smiled. “You know, people think I’m a little crazy because of what I do for fun, but I don’t think I have anything on you.”

She didn’t react; only stared at him, utter confidence in her eyes.

The lady had a sophisticated air about her in contrast with her odd proclamation. Since opening the store in his late twenties, Corin had entertained seven years of the occasional strange customer, but this lady was more than unusual. Her confidence and striking looks made her words almost believable.

“You need it.”

“I think this is the moment you tell me who you are or I kindly ask you to leave.”

The woman gazed out the windows toward Silva’s Ski Shop across the street. “It is with regret that I cannot do that yet, but be assured eventually I will.” The hint of a smile returned. “Now, I must be going, so if you could help me get the chair inside, I will extend you great appreciation.” She motioned toward the front door of the store. “It isn’t heavy, but we will want to be careful. It is priceless.”

Just outside the door a tan sheet covered what must be the chair the lady referred to.

She stared at Corin, waiting, as if there were a contest going on to see who would drop their eyes first.

“I didn’t order a chair.” Corin opened his palms. “Sorry. And wouldn’t you know it? I’m overstocked with them this month already.” He smiled. “Thanks anyway.”

“Listen to me.” She intertwined her fingers, brought her thumbs up under her chin, and pointed her forefingers at him.

“Okay.” Corin chuckled.

“This is a very special chair.”

“I’m sure it is.” Corin cocked his head and winked.

“Don’t mock me.” Her eyes locked on to his.

Corin took half a step back. If her eyes were lasers, smoke would already be curling skyward above his lifeless body. “My apologies. I’m sure your chair is exceptional, but my warehouse on the east edge of town is full of antique chairs that have collected dust for over six months. There isn’t a big demand for chairs in my store right now.”

Corin studied the lady. The lines carved into her light skin hinted of joy and pain, both in full measure. Her eyes, fire a moment ago, had softened and spoke of compassion and longing. Would it hurt to help her a bit?

“If you have any desks, I’ll take a look at those. I could buy two or three, maybe more depending on their condition. And I can take the chair on consignment if you like. No charge whatsoever to display it.”

She looked at Corin as if observing a small child. “You’ve misunderstood. I am not asking you to buy the chair. I am giving it to you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“You are to have it.” She motioned again toward the door.

“I am?” Corin slid his hands into his jeans and eased toward the woman. “Who made that decision?”

She stared at him and gave a faint smile but didn’t answer.

“And what if I don’t want this gift?”

“You do.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head for a few seconds. What was she doing? Praying? “You will.”

“You seem confident of that.”

“Most certainly. It is a stunning piece.” She looked down, laid a finger on the edge of a nineteenth-century French walnut side table to her right, and drew her finger slowly across the wood. “It was made by the most talented tekton craftsman the world has ever known.”

“And who would that be?”

“You’ll figure it out, Corin.” She looked back up at him, the knowing smile back on her face. “I believe in you.”

Sounds like a great read doesn't it! If you would like to win yourself a copy, please drop Jim a note here. Perhaps you have a miracle you would like to share with all of us?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

There is so much that is special at this time of year. Actually on every day of the year. But this week we get to hear from Author, Michelle Sutton, whose writing focuses on Healing Hearts - fiction making an impact on real lives...

Michelle is a social worker who has been writing romantic fiction for over seven years and is a member of AmericanChristian Fiction Writers, as well as an avid book reviewer and blogger on a variety of sites. She founded Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers social networking site which has over 1050 members. Southeastern Arizona is where Michelle calls home. She loves being surrounded by mountains and clean air, which inspires many of her novels. She and her husband are approaching twenty-one years of marriage and their twosons will begin their second year of college in August. She is the author of a dozen novels releasing through Dec 2011 and additional six new titles and two re-releases are scheduled to happen between 2012 and 2014. She presently has three publishers.

What is so special about this Christmas season to you, Michelle?

This time of year I enjoy having my sons come home from college to visit. There are parties to attend, concerts to go to (like The Messiah - an annual tradition,) and people to bless by just hanging out or given them gifts or cards. It's all quite exhausting, really, so I am glad it only comes one time per year. I particularly enjoy getting together with friends, at work, and for church groups to do White Elephant exchanges. They are always a laugh and a half.

When I was a kid we always watched Rudolf, Frosty, CharlieBrown, and The Grinch on television. Now that we haven't watched television for two decades we have gotten a bit out of that tradition, but we do watch (every year) this silly show with muppet-like puppets called "Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas."

When the kids were younger we watched the Veggie Tales movie about the Christmas Carol. I don't make cookies, but I don't mind eating them if given to me (and my hips show it, too!) We will go to church if it's on Christmas. We always go to the Christmas Eve services to sing carols and then we gohome and open the stockings. In the morning we open the gifts to each other.

My kids have this silly tradition of writing crazy stuff on the packages with the name of who the gift is for. Sometimes it's quite hilarious, actually.

But my favorite thing is probably the Christmas carols we sing at church. It's the only time of year that hymns are sung anymore, and I love hymns. I also love the reading of the Christmas story. A few years I went out singing carols, butthat's pretty cold and the older I get the more I appreciate the fires in the fireplace and the cozy atmosphere. The cold - not so much. Every year the traditions alter a bit, but for the most part we stick to the same routine.

When I was a kid our family used to have people from other countries like China and Vietnam over to our house for dinner. Now that we have a nuclear family of our own, we tend to be home bodies and just hang out together and play games. I take time off from work and we just veg out. That's what I love about this time of year most. Having my family together.

SHIRLEY: Thanks so much for sharing that. I can see it all, and it does sound like a very special time, Michelle.

Please tell us now about your newest book.

She longs for physical healing, but God uses someone from a dark time in her past to heal something more important…her heart.

Ten years ago Raquel dumped Scott for an abusive man, only she didn’t know Scott loved her in a romantic way. She thought they were just good friends because Scott never made his feelings known. Ten years later they meet up again, only now she's a widow—emotionally fragile from years of abuse—and in need of a friend she can trust. She is taking care of her aunt who has cancer, but now her own health is failing. Scott never got over Raquel and he worries he will fall in love with her again. Her past rejection causes Scott to guard his heart as hehelps her navigate the unwanted changes in her life. Over time he begins to trust her again as she fights discouragement over her diagnosis. He gives Raquel the unconditional love she has always longed for, but will that be enough?

SHIRLEY: This sounds like a great book! I am thrilled you are planning to donate a PDF copy to one of our readers.

Thanks, Michelle, for taking a few minutes out of your Christmas holiday to spend a little time over here at A Pen for Your Thoughts!

May you and your family have an awesome Christmas together around that fireplace...singing those carols...opening your stockings...reading the funny cards on your packages...and sharing in the joy of cookie time.

There's nothing so awesome as when family comes together as one.

For our viewers: Tell us one special thing you'd like to see happen at Christmas time this year, that you haven't seen happen recently. (Be sure to leave your email address. And I will draw the winner's name on Christmas EVE!)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Penny Zeller is the author of several books and numerous magazine articles. She is also the author of the blog "A Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author"www.pennyzeller.wordpress.comwhere she also provides weekly doses of humor, along with movie reviews from a Christian worldview, and interviews with some of her favorite author friends.

Penny is an active volunteer in her community, devoting her time to assisting and nurturing women and children into a closer relationship with Christ. Her passion is to use the gift of the written word that God has given her to glorify Him and to benefit His kingdom.

Among other books, Penny is the author of McKenzie, Kaydie, and Hailee in her Montana Skies Historical Romance Series and 77 Ways Your Family Can Make a Difference: Ideas and Activities for Serving Others.When she's not writing, Penny enjoys spending time with her family and camping, hiking, canoeing, and playing volleyball.

SDC: It's so great having you here, Penny. You are fast becoming both a well-known and talented writer. Before you tell us about your newest release please fill us in on what inspired you with the book(s) you’ve written up until now.

Penny: Hello Shirley! Thank you so much for having me as your guest. Wow, what a great question…I have written nonfiction and children’s fiction in the past, but my favorite genre to read and write is historical romance. The Lord gave me the opportunity to pen the first book in my Montana Skies Series, McKenzie, while recovering from injuries I sustained in a car accident. I have always wanted to write a novel about a mail-order bride, and from that passion came McKenzie. Kaydie, whose character learns to trust in God for all things, soon followed. I was inspired to write Hailee, the third and final book in the series, when I received a piece of mail about an orphanage. I was eager to write about the experience of a girl who spent time in not only an orphanage, but an orphanage for wayward juveniles. I am humbled that God could use me to impact lives through my books.

SDC: It is humbling, isn't it, but also such a blessing. What kind of response to you receive from readers who have not yet come to know the Lord, or who have been influenced greatly by your writing?

Penny: Regarding your first question: I recently received a phone call from a friend whose grandmother is hospitalized in serious condition. She's an elderly woman (in her 90s) who isn't doing well healthwise and she doesn't know the Lord. Her family has been praying for her and trying for years to witness to her. My friend told me that her grandmother requested the other night that a book be read to her. I was humbled that out of all the books she could have chosen, she requestedMcKenzie. I pray that something of God's Word that I have written in my book would help to soften this woman's heart toward Jesus and pave the way for her family to again tell her about God's eternal gift for her.

For your second question: I recently heard from a woman who has been caring for her mother who has terminal cancer. Her mother can no longer talk, but receives great comfort just in knowing that her daughter is there. While her daughter remains by her bedside, she told me she read my Montana Skies Series and was greatly blessed by it. “I needed to be able to escape the harsh reality of watching my mother die by escaping to Pine Haven, Montana. Your books allowed me to do that. Thank you.”

It is times like that or when readers write to tell me how my books had an impact on their lives that are such great moments and make it all worthwhile.

SDC: Those are both great testimonies. Thanks! Tell us five things you like that no one might know about and that make you, you.

Penny: Ooh! Fun question!

1. My favorite thing ever is spending time with my family.

2. My favorite food is pizza (make that pepperoni with extra cheese) followed by popcorn.

3. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 7 and I love to sit and daydream about new characters.

4. I met my husband through a prank phone call.

5. I love clothes and have a weakness for cute shoes.

SDC: LOL. I love how you met your husband. That's a story in itself! What question regarding the season of Christmas would you like one of our viewers to answer to help me select the winner? (if the winner resides in the U.S., they will receive a personalized paperback copy; if they reside outside of the U.S., they will receive an ebook copy).

Penny: What is your favorite Christmas tradition and why does it hold special meaning for you?

SDC: As always, Penny, it has been a real pleasure having you here again at A Pen for Your Thoughts. I love it when you come over our way. Let us know where we can find you and your books.

Penny: My books can be found at your favorite bookstore or at any online retailer including

Thank you again, Shirley, for graciously hosting me on your blog. To you and to all of your readers – may you all have a blessed Christmas season!

THANKS SO VERY MUCH! And same to you and your family, Penny.

Readers, please take a few minutes to share with us YOUR favorite Christmas tradition, as Penny asked above.

Lord willing, I will draw YOUR name and you can enjoy Penny's book too.

Here is a little what the book is about. Read on...

For years, orphan Hailee Annigan was just a ragamuffin in the Cincinnati streets, stealing food to keep her two younger brothers fed. Her thievery landed her in a home for delinquent youngsters, where her life was changed, thanks to her teachers. Now, nineteen-year-old Hailee excitedly heads to Montana to be a teacher, yet she's still plagued by her shameful past and the fear of never seeing her brothers again.

Based on his upbringing in high-society Boston, no one would have guessed that Nate Adams would attend seminary and become a church pastor in rugged Montana. Even now, Nate's parents refuse to put aside their own plans for his future and accept his calling.

When their paths converge, an immediate attraction draws Hailee and Nate together, even as the pressures and demands of others pull them apart. Can the unlikely pair come to terms with their pasts and face the future together?

Shirley Kiger Connolly: Line and Content Editor; Proofreading Editor; Award Winning Author of a growing number of Historical-Inspirational Romances and Nonfiction Books of Reflection. In ministry with her husband, Shirley also serves as KOINONIA Community Director, a teaching and speaking ministry for Christian women. Shirley majored in Journalism and English at SR College and is a graduate of ICL of West Redding, Connecticut.